eje

If any of you read (or write) blogs which cover cocktails, you might know that Paul over at Cocktail Chronicles has been organizing a monthly online cocktail event he calls Mixology Mondays. This month's event is being hosted over at Jimmy's Cocktail Hour. The theme is "Whisk(e)y". To quote Mr. Clarke: If you would like to participate, please post in this topic before Monday, February 12th at midnight. I will compile a list of cocktails posted and mail them to the organizer. I can't really imagine a much more open theme, unless it was Gin! The mind boggles!

Blue Train Special Cocktail (for 6)(2 -eje) As usual, I am halving the recipe by assuming two ounces per "glass" and then making half. This one seemed a bit small. I'll give decoding this my best. Blue Train likely candidates. 1) South African luxury train. 2) Train from Paris to Calais, "Le Train Bleu". 3) "Splendid Belle Epoque restaurant in the heart of the Gare de Lyon railway station." Also, "Le Train Bleu". You may remember a certain Barney Barnato from the Barney Barnato Cocktail. When Barney Barnato died, he left his two year old son an heir to his millions. When this son, (Joel) Woolf Barnato, grew up, he became quite the bon vivant. His enthusiasms included car racing, Bentleys, drinking, and parties. He and his friends were called "The Bentley Boys". They competed in various European motor races. In fact, Woolf Barnato won the Le Mans race three times out of three starts, a record that has not been beaten to this day. In March of 1930, Woolf Barnato was at a party in Cannes. Some speculation arose about the speed of the cars among the attendees. Many wondered if it was possible for someone to race the famous express rail, "Le Train Bleu," and beat it from Paris to Calais. Woolf pooh poohed this idea, and said his custom Bentley could get to London before the train got to Calais. Bets were laid and Woolf wagered 200 pounds he could get to his favorite club in London before The Blue Train arrived in Calais. The next day, when "Le Train Bleu" left the Paris station, with the assistance of a second driver, Barnato departed simultaneously. Barnato reached Calais the next morning at 10:30 AM, and took his car on the ferry across the channel. He arrived at the Conservative Club on St. James Street 4 minutes before the Blue Train arrived in Calais. I would guess a champagne cocktail or two might be in order. From then on he called his custom Bentley "The Blue Train Special". He even had a bar built into the dashboard. The cocktail is rather tastier than I expected. Sweet, fizzy, and slightly exotic. Just the ticket for a Bright Young Thing during London's exuberant 30s.

Researching the Blue Train Special for tonight... I came across a recipe for the Blue Train Cocktail which contains violet liqueur. In this case, I see the cocktaildb recipe calls for a dash of the now defunct "Creme Yvette". Another parallel with the Aviation! Main difference again being the Cointreau vs. Maraschino. The cocktaildb is so cool! If only it included the specific source for each recipe... Cocktaildb v.2?

Article from Sunday's SF Chronicle Style Section: Notes from the underground -- Union Square club Vessel aims for elegance Bars mentioned catering to this <ahem> exciting new trend and well heeled young clientèle include Bourbon and Branch, Otis, Rye, Slide, and the soon to launch Vessel*. *Anyone who can see that name and not snicker and think of Star Trek's Chekov, is a better man than I.

Does Miller own Full Sail, too? Or do they just contract the brewing of the Weinhard beers to Full Sail? --- Never mind, found an article:

That does have a beautiful hue. One slightly odd thing about the Blue Monday... In "The Official Mixer's Manual" Patrick Duffy gives it the alternate name Caucasian. He also states the Blue Vegetable Extract is optional. Not sure if he means the drink is a Caucasion if it doesn't have the coloring. In "The Big Lebowski" the Cohen Brothers have their character "The Dude" refer to his White Russians as Caucasians. Though, I wonder if that is because the character seems to be leaving out the Coffee Liqueur and just making them with cream and vodka. Am I remembering that right?

Has anyone tried the Charbay Pastis? Tasting notes? Comparisons? Worth the price?

I haven't been to the Burger Joint in the Airport; but, I have been to the one on Valencia Street. Very good Burgers, fries, and (real!) lemonade. Easily in my top 10 list of mid-price burgers in SF. Unfortunately, for some reason, they don't have a liquor license, so you can't enjoy a beer with your burger. Also, in my opinion, the shakes are only OK. They don't make malteds.

Yes, this particular telling does seem to have a mythic element, which made me question its veracity. You will note that I was at pains to say things like, "According to..." and "...attributes to...". Still, a very compelling story, that I think does capture a vivid picture of the mid-19th century saloon. Or if you want to get really persnickety, a vivid picture of the mid-20th century idea of what it was like in a mid-19th century saloon.

Some folks expressed some interest in which cocktails were added to the second edition of the Savoy Cocktail Book, so I made a list. I've also scanned the pages. They're too big to post on eGullet. If you're interested, drop me a PM and I'll be happy to send them to you. Recipes in the "New and Additional Cocktails" section are: Albert Keller Cocktail Atlantis Cocktail Bacardi Cocktail Bamboo Cocktail Blackthorn Cocktail (No. 2) Booksellers' (Special) Pride Clam Juice Cocktail Devonshire Pride DOM Cocktail Fly Fisher's Cocktail Golden Dawn Gun Cotton Hercules Cocktail Jazz Cocktail Jersey Lightning Lone Tree Cocktail Love Potion Cocktail Lulu's Favourite Monk Cocktail Roosevelt Pick-Me-Up Silent Third Cocktail Summit Cocktail Tomato Juice Cocktail After the above there is one final page titled "Miscellaneous Drinks" the cocktails on that page are: Gin Sling "See the Formula for this on page 190. This is much improved by the addition of the juice of half a lemon" John Collins "See the Formula for this on page 190. Dry Gin should be used in preference to Hollands Gin." Pousse Cafe Planter's Punch

Blue Blazer history. According to Lucius Beebe in "The Stork Club Bar Book", the Blue Blazer was invented by Professor Jerry Thomas in 1849 while he was working at the El Dorado bar here in San Francisco. The story goes, a patron came into the bar and demanded of Professor Thomas that he, "Fix me some hell-fire that will shake me right down to my gizzard." "Professor Thomas smiled and quietly poured a tumbler of Scotch Whisky into one of the mugs, followed by a slightly smaller quantity of boiling water. Then with an evil smelling sulphur match, he ignited the liquid, and as the blue flame shot toward the ceiling and the crowd fell back in awe, he hurled the blazing mixture back and forth between the two mugs, with a rapidity and dexterity that was well nigh unbelievable. This amazing spectacle continued in full movement for perhaps ten seconds, and then the professor poured the beverage into a tumbler and smothered the flame. He stirred in a spoonful of pulverized white sugar into the mixture, added a twist of lemon peel, and shoved the smoking concoction across to the booted and spurred giant. "'Sir,' said Professor Thomas, bowing, 'The Blue Blazer!' "The boastful miner threw back his head and flung the boiling drink down his throat. He stood motionless for a moment, smacking his lips and tasting the full flavor of it, and then startled expression spread across his face. He swayed like a reed in the wind. He shivered from head to food. His teeth rattled. He batted his eyes. His mouth opened and closed; he could no longer say nothing. Then he sank slowly into a chair. He was no longer fit to be tied." Beebe attributes the quotes above to "The Bon Vivant's Companion", edited by Herbert Asbury.

It's hard to beat a flaming whisk(e)y toddy! Comments from the evening's guests were, "Oooo, that's really good!" and, "It warms you all the way down to your toes!" So, yeah, I'd say Mr. Thomas' creation was quite the hit.

Blue Blazer (for 3 - eje) Use two large silver-plated mugs, with handles. (Two 30 oz mixing tins with thick towels - eje) 1 Wineglass Scotch Whisky (6 oz George T. Stagg, Antique Collection 2006) 1 Wineglass Boiling Water (6 oz) Sweeten with one teaspoonful of powdered white sugar (3 tsp caster sugar), and serve in a small bar tumbler, with a piece of lemon peel (orange peel). Unfortunately, very difficult to catch how truly cool preparing the Blue Blazer looks on camera. The room fills with the wonderful smell of the hot whisky. I don't have any barrel proof Scotch, so I decided to used the George T. Stagg instead. I did think I would be able to light the Stagg, (given it is 140.6 proof,) without heating it; but, found I did need to raise its temperature a bit before it would ignite. The guests suggested I could make good money preparing Blue Blazers at parties.

Blackthorn Cocktail (No 2) Dash Orange Bitters (The Bitter Truth) 2/3 Sloe Gin (2 oz Homemade Plymouth Gin based Black Plum liqueur, jackal10 procedure.) 1/3 Italian Vermouth (1 oz Carpano Antica) Stir well and strain into cocktail glass Cocktail from the "New and Additional Cocktails" section of the second edition of the Savoy Cocktail book. First time I've tried this liqueur since I put it down last summer. I wasn't really sure what to expect, as I don't think I've ever actually had sloe or damson gin. Boy is it tasty, though! Incredibly complex in combination with the Vermouth. Plum gin is going to have to go on the regular summer liqueur schedule!

Bamboo Cocktail 1/4 French Vermouth (1 oz Noilly Prat) 1/4 Italian Vermouth (1 oz Carpano Antica) 1/2 Dry Sherry (2 oz Lustau Solera Reserva Dry Oloroso Sherry "Don Nuño") Stir well and strain into cocktail glass (over rocks -eje). (Squeeze orange peel over drink, and drop in glass. - eje) Third cocktail from the "New and Additional Cocktails" section of the second edition of the Savoy Cocktail book. Made this a tad on the large side as a long cocktail. Not bad at all. Went very well with some blue cheese we were having before dinner.

Welcome to eGullet P&J (aka Vesper Lynd)! Thanks for joining in on the Stomp through the Savoy! With the three of us working on it, it might only take a year or two, instead of the projected three or four years.

Here's my understanding: Bacardi was THE Cuban Rum. Their particular genius was to age rum for a few years and then filter it again using proprietary technology. They would then sell it as a white rum. However, the aging had mellowed it, so it was much nicer than the other unaged white rum on the market. They had the foresight to leave Cuba before, well, things happened. Some portions of Bacardi became Havana Club, others became the larger Bacardi brand. Rum folks feel neither the Bacardi brand nor the Cuban Havana Club really live up to the pre-events Bacardi rums. It's my opinion it's not really possible to make a 1930s era Bacardi cocktail, as that brand of rum really no longer exists. Others have recommended Flor de Cana as a well regarded rum in the spirit of Havana Club. So I use it as a substitute for Bacardi and/or Havana Club.

Bacardi Cocktail 1/4 Lemon Juice or Lime Juice (3/4 oz Lime Juice) 1/4 Grenadine (3/4 oz home made grenadine) 1/2 Bacardi Rum ( 1 1/2 oz Flor De Cana Extra Dry Rum) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass Third cocktail from the "New and Additional Cocktails" section of the Second edition of the Savoy Cocktail Book. Despite anti-grenadine sentiment to the contrary, in my opinion, the first decent cocktail of the supplement. Recent correspondence from eGullet member jazzyjeff shows that the Bacardi cocktail was actually part of the original first pressings of the Savoy. Not sure how to explain. Here is his picture. It looks like it was a recipe that was mislaid; but, that the publisher, authors or editors felt strongly enough about the Bacardi Cocktail to insert a part of a page to the first edition of the Savoy cocktail book. The Bacardi cocktail was then included in the "New and Additional Cocktails" section of the second edition.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, February 02, 2007 Riesling's California comeback, Janet Fletcher SUPER BOWL XLI: Game Day Food and Wine Pairings, Christina Kelly Guacamole Chili Potato chips Nachos Buffalo wings Pizza THE SIPPING NEWS: Label watch We aren't big fans of stemless glassware. Alsace comes to Mendocino Tequila could be the spirit of the future in the U.S. Bargain Wines: Chart-topping Chardonnay still No. 1, W. Blake Gray Beating the heat in Zin pairing challenge, W. Blake Gray German labels lose big words, gain bigger audience, Olivia Wu The Cocktailian: Warm up with hot Tequila drink, Gary Regan Recipe: Mayahuel Adapted from a recipe by Junior Merino, cocktail consultant, the Liquid Chef Inc., New York Pairings: An Indian feast for domestic Riesling, Joyce Goldstein Recipes: Spicy Lemon Lentils, Saffron Rice Pilaf, and Fresh Fruit Chutney The Chronicle's Wine Selections: West Coast Rieslings, W. Blake Gray The Cheese Course: Velvety, smooth goat cheese just the way Grandma made it, Janet Fletcher 96 Hours Bar Bites: À Côté, Karen Reardanz "The sister restaurant to Citron next door, this Rockridge hot spot dishes up French-Mediterranean small plates in a warmly intimate setting, with jewel-tone walls, iron sconces and very flattering lighting. The restaurant/bar hops every night of the week, as neighbors pop in for a quick bite, couples cozy up at small tables and groups celebrate at the large communal ones. But much of the action happens at the curving granite bar, where attentive bartenders carefully craft, muddle and shake A Cote's popular cocktails." Bargain Bite: Cock-A-Doodle Cafe, Stacy Finz "A brunch spot with a Latin bent in downtown Oakland." CRITICS' PICKS: Valentine's Day, Bill Addison "Many Bay Area restaurants are rolling out the romantic red carpet with special meals to entice a range of appetites. But you'd better get on the horn now to make reservations before all the good slots are filled -- your paramour won't swoon over eating at 4:30 or 10:30 p.m." Dining Out: At hidden Japantown gem, small is definitely better, Bill Addison "Kappa focuses on a style of eating, popular in Tokyo, known as koryori-ya: small plates that emphasize the ingredient's freshness and intensity. There are two ways to approach a meal: omakase (the chef's tasting that starts at $85) or a succession of a la carte dishes."

Just a note about Perrique. Perrique is a distilled liqueur, so according to the testing the maker has done (so far), it actually contains no measurable amount of nicotine or any of the bad things normally associated with tobacco. A simple tobacco infusion will contain nicotine and other fun, (I want to stress I'm using "fun" sarcastically here,) tobacco related substances, many of which are fairly toxic when consumed orally in any quantity. edit - clarify point.

re: Cherry Liqueur. Thanks for the info Vesper Lynd! Nose part makes sense to me, as I believe the Massenez Creme de Griotte is based on a Cherry Brandy base and the Heering on grape brandy. Atlantis Cocktail 1/4 Cointreau (3/4 oz Luxardo Triplum) 1/4 Pineapple Juice (Dole) 1/2 Scotch (1 1/2 oz Compass Box Asyla) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Second cocktail from the "New and Additional Cocktails" section of the Savoy Second Edition. So far, not terribly impressed with these. Quite sweet. Dash of lemon juice would go a long way to making this cocktail more appealing to me. Like with the Blood and Sand, I think the Asyla is a bit civilized for these proceedings, and its flavor is pretty much lost. I'm just getting orange and pineapple. Probably Famous Grouse or another less subtle blended Scotch would be more appropriate. This is my first experiment with the Luxardo Dry Orange. I accidentally killed my bottle of Cointreau without comparing, so I can't do a side by side. The Triplum is 38% and Cointreau 40%, so no big difference there. The Triplum did seem to have a bit more of a bitter orange edge to it. I also noticed the alcohol more than I remember noticing with Cointreau. edit - I also note from the De Danske Spritfabriker Heering page, that Heering is aged in oak for 3 years before being bottled.

I've only tried the regular buckwheat, not the black. Can't say I really cared for it, and it certainly didn't inspire me to pick up the darker one. I thought it a bit odd, as I really like Buckwheat Pancakes, Soba Noodles and Brittany Buckwheat Galette. But, then I find Rogue's output uneven. They have some beers that I really like, some which I find OK, and some I actively dislike. But, then, they do make something like 50 beers. Slightly off topic, did you know there is a Distillery in Brittany making a whisky from buckwheat? Brittany buckwheat whisky I would like to try that one day.

I haven't seen much change at the Farmers' Market or Latin American groceries. Heck, a little more than week ago lemons were 20 for a dollar at the grocery. Small lemons, it is true; but, quite juicy. I expect the price increase will be seen most at the big grocery store chains and natural markets. I can't wait to see a $2 lemon at Whole Foods. I think the Central Valley, hardest hit by the freeze, sells mostly to volume markets. Juice manufacturers and such.

I really like scented geraniums. They're pretty, they smell good (if a bit clingy), and they're hard to kill. I think I'm up to 4 or 5 on the back porch now. I had an idea to make an experimental cocktail out of all rose and rose relative plants. Initially, it was Apple Brandy, Rose Hip tea, and rose petals. When I was experimenting with that, I changed my mind and decided to use rose scented geranium leaves instead of rose petals, and it turned out pretty well. If I remember right, I muddled a rose geranium leaf in a teaspoon of simple syrup, added 3/4 oz extra strong rose hip tea, 2 oz apple brandy, and ice, then shook to chill. Strained into cocktail glass, and dropped in a small geranium leaf in for garnish. The victi... errr... test subjects felt this was pretty tasty. However, I thought maybe it could use a tad more sour. Maybe a dash lemon juice or a twist. I never did come up with a name, either. edit - by the way, in case you didn't know, this is pretty similar to a cocktail called the Jack Rose. I will check my notes tonight when I get home, to make sure the above is accurate.

Odd... I don't know that these bars or bartenders, are saying these are new twists on the classics the article mentions. I know Alembic, at least, is purposely serving their old-fashioned that way as a classic version, not a new interpretation. I think in some of the cases, it is just the editors inferring conclusions from drink lists and/or their own knowledge. I've no idea what the Harmony has to do with the Sazerac. Seems sort of similar to the Biter (Bitter) cocktail.